Jaguar could win an intense battle as Formula E heats up
The new E-Prix added this month in Jakarta was a case in point of how Formula E is finally maturing. The 18-turn 1.47-mile track offered more than one potential overtaking point, was wide enough to allow for passes without contact and generally received a thumbs up from all. Energy-sapping humidity spelt a challenge for the drivers, who resorted to pre-race dips in paddling pools to cool off, while the teams sweated over rising battery temperatures. This was a tough motor race.
Another brick regularly hurled at Formula E is how it relies on gimmicks to spice up the racing. But the long-established Fan Boost and the more recent Attack Mode addition are no worse that the Drag Reduction System in F1, and without pitstops in this current Gen 2 era, create some welcome strategic variety. In Jakarta, drivers had to pick up two mandatory doses of Attack Mode – each a four-minute increase of 13% power – whenever they chose.
Running off line through the Attack Mode triggering zone was likely to lose drivers places. But when Mitch Evans ran longer than rival Antonio Felix da Costa before taking his second dose, he was able to maintain second place, then set off after leader Vergne.The extra power allowed Evans to close in on Vergne’s DS Techeetah entry, but he’d run out of boost as he surprised the ex-Formula 1 racer at Turn 7, when most overtaking moves were made at Turn 1.
Consistency tends to be Jaguar’s downfall, and Evans had struggled in the previous races in Berlin, so the Jakarta victory was vital to him. “I was just happy to be in it at the end,” he said. “We had a tough last race and the climate is on another level here. We put a lot of work into set-up and the systems, and the team gave me the goods I needed when it’s so tight.
Remarkably, Evans, Vergne and Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara finished bunched together, each with energy readouts of zero per cent. Energy management remains crucial – and I still think it’s a bit of a drag – but there’s certainly an art to how the engineers and drivers work corner to corner to judge they’re usage to perfection. When it works out so precisely, it’s impressive.
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